July 17 (Bloomberg) -- Eurostar Group Ltd., the operator of
high-speed trains under the English Channel, promises a “leap
into a different league” with new e320 trains from Siemens AG
that it expects to have in service by the end of next year.

The 10 new trains, purchased for 700 million pounds ($1.2
billion) last year, have 20 percent more capacity and offer more
room for each passenger. They’ll zip from London to Paris and
other continental destinations at up to 320 kilometers per hour
(199 mph).

“There will be a big, big difference,” Eurostar Chief
Executive Officer Nicolas Petrovic said today in an interview.
“It will be a leap into a different league.”

Eurostar provided its first London-to-Paris trips in 1994,
and has a “good track record” of convincing customers to try
taking a train rather than flying, the CEO said. The new trains
will have Wi-Fi capability, even as they pass under the Channel.
The e320s are key to Eurostar’s plan to have direct transit to
Amsterdam starting in December 2016.

“We know that when we have a direct service it becomes a
lot more popular,” Petrovic said. “I am very confident on that
route.”

The trains are being tested on the lines in Belgium and
France, as well as at Eurostar’s maintenance facility in London.
The bulk of the work that remains relates to developing
different signalling systems that are required for integrating
routes in different countries.

Demand and bookings for leisure travel are picking up after
a decrease during the World Cup finals and after the timing of
the Easter and U.K. May bank holidays caused some travelers to
book one trip abroad rather than two, Petrovic said.

Even so, Eurostar reported today that passenger numbers
rose 2 percent to 5 million in the first half compared with a
year earlier. Revenue gained 0.5 percent to 456 million pounds.